WJPA Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hit a solo shot, rookie Konnor Griffin singled in two runs in Pittsburgh’s three-run seventh inning and the Pirates held on to beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 for their third straight victory. Rafael Flores Jr. added an RBI single to help the Pirates win for the eighth time in 10 games to climb back to .500. Pittsburgh used eight pitchers to hand the White Sox a second straight loss and their seventh in their last 10. AL Central-leading Chicago (75-70) maintained a two-game lead over Cleveland, which lost at Baltimore.

SEATTLE (AP) — Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two late scoring drives and the Seattle Seahawks intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter to overcome an early injury to starter Sam Darnold and beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch. The Seahawks were held to just a field goal through three quarters as Lock and the offense struggled to move the ball after Darnold injured his hip on the opening drive. But the costly interceptions by last season’s MVP runner-up turned the tide and made sure that the banner-raising night would end in happy fashion for the boisterous home crowd.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cameron Heyward is criticizing the franchise tag, calling it “stupid.” The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle believes it unfairly restricts players. His comments come as the Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. approach a contract deadline. Porter is in the final year of his rookie deal, and the team has a policy against negotiating once the season starts. The franchise tag allows teams to keep players for an extra year at the average salary of the top five players at their position. Heyward argues the tag hinders player freedom and is used as a negotiation tool.

Barry Melrose, a hockey player-turned-coach who led the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before going on to a long career in broadcasting the sport, has died. He was 70. ESPN announced Melrose’s death Wednesday after his wife informed the network. Melrose stepped away from the role in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. From Kelvington, Saskatchewan, the hard-nosed defenseman played over 300 games in the NHL after nearly 200 in the World Hockey Association.